West Mombasha Road to Graymoor Spiritual Life Ballfield---June 4th

Good going early with smooth trail and a bear sighting, the furry omnivore scurrying up the trail ahead of me then disappearing behind a rocky bluff.  It wasn't until I hit Island Pond Outlet that I realized it would be a tough day as my climbing legs were just not with me for some reason and my dawgs were barking in these thin-soled, thread-bare, WalMart specials.  Oh, for new socks and shoes in Kent!
Had to actually take off my backpack and carry it in front of me to shimmy through the Lemon Squeezer, a narrow cleft of rock that is not conducive to big packs or hefty hikers.  Successfully passing this obstacle, you soon come upon another which actually gives you a choice, a bit of rock climbing on the white blaze or a boulder bypass on the blue blaze.  Not interested in the rock scrabble, I took the little loop route around the rubble.
When I arrived at Fingerboard Shelter, I found an older hiker who was holed up there because of severe blister problems on his feet that had left him fairly well hobbled.  He told me he was going to stay there a day or two and hoped the combination of time and rest would cure his troubles.  The farthest he was venturing was to the water source at Lake Tiorati about a half-mile distant down a blue-blazed path.  This seemed to put my own tender feet into the category of a minor annoyance and I count myself among the most fortunate of hikers in the fact that I have never had to deal with painful blisters.  As I polished off the remaining crumbs from an early lunch, the sun broke through what had been an overcast sky.  Taking advantage of this break in the weather, I slung my pack over my shoulders and headed back to the trail, enjoying some fine walking along the five-mile track to William Brien Memorial Shelter, where I stopped briefly for a snack and water refill.
The climb up to West Mountain Shelter was stony and agonizingly slow.  I expected the same at Bear Mountain, but delightedly was proved quite wrong because of the extensive work just recently completed to make the trail so smooth that even the uphill seemed like a walk in the park.  Once at the crowded summit, to my amazement, I could see the skyscrapers and tall buildings that formed the New York City skyline.  Didn't see too many fellow hikers, but the parking lots were jam packed.  The soda machines were prominently positioned in a shady rest area, but for now I think I'll stick to spring water.
The descent to the town of Bear Mountain, New York was on newly constructed trail as well, the steps creating a none too jarring downhill path leading to the picnic pavilions, trailside museums and lake.  For a hungry hiker it was like running a gauntlet with savory and seductive smells wafting up from the grills and a range of mouth-watering foods displayed on the tables I was passing.  I was seriously tempted to do a Yogi and steal a picnic basket, but managed to overcome the impulse. :-)  The unfortunate thing for me in town was that I missed getting into the zoo by a mere twenty minutes.  I would have liked to have seen the bears and other animals, but instead was left with a detour around the enclosure to get to the Bear Mountain Bridge.  Crossing the steel span on the pedestrian walk high above the Hudson River, I looked down at the many boaters and jet skiers zipping around beneath me. 
By this time, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, the sky had clouded over once more, and a light drizzle set in.  All I could do was put on my rain jacket, place my pack cover over my ULA Circuit, keep on walking and hope the drizzle didn't turn into a full on rain.
Though less than six miles, it seemed like forever before I finally emerged from the woods at U.S. 9 near Peekskill.  Knowing that it was only another mile or so to my bedding down point, I stopped at the Shell station/convenience store to pick up a few comfort items (corn chips, spinach dip and a USA Today) that I could use to lift my spirits before hitting the hay.  Up from the highway, I hit a blue-blaze on a paved road leading me to the Graymoor Spiritual Life Ballfield.  The picnic shelter there is on a very secluded backroad where not a single car passed during my overnight stay.  Four other hikers were sharing the facilities, which included a water spigot, shower, wash basin, laundry lines, phone numbers to various food delivery services and more.  Winding down after a long day, I perused the newspaper, dipped and crunched the chips, and kept an ear out for the hiker conversation going on as night fell.  Dave was discussing the finer points of shelter etiquette, cursing those rude enough to arrive after dark and disturb those already sleeping.  The cursing continued as he described the dastardly rocks that were everywhere along the trail.  Finally the subject turned to the topic of urination, both along the trail and what you do when the urge strikes in the middle of the night while lying in a crowded shelter.  So, I guess the conversation had turned full circle back to shelter etiquette. :-)

A Fine New York Path